As they say "Day one is in the books!"

Exciting day today.  saw the pacific today, drank some ocean water and took off for the coast.  it was an uneventful start with a line drawn in the sand and some walking to start, like any good ultra begins. no rain today and cool temps lead to a good day.  I tried to drink as much as i could but it was so cool that I didnt need much, maybe 3-4 liters.  the scenery was good, lots of marshes and grasses to start.  it gave way to pine forest and rivers that we ran along.  the clouds broke around noon and we had a good few hours of sun to finish.  I got to the car and followed Hortons' and Jens' advise and got my shoes off compression hose on, ice on the knees and food in the stomach. 

I feel pretty good now and will try to get some dinner and rest for another good day tomorrow.

video of the start to follow with better internet connection.

pre race meeting

Spending the night in Elma, WA.  Just back from dinner at the rusty tractor and met mike, marty, and jennifer.  everyone is very nice and excited to get started tomorrow.

Katie and i spent the last 2 days in seattle relaxing and doing the touristy stuff everyone is supposed to do.  we walked through pikes market, saw the space needle and snoqualmie falls, ate on the waterfront, shopped (katie did anyway), the usual things. katie took lots of pictures we will post in the next few days.

we picked up jen today and made the drive without incident.  the roller is gassed up and ready, our coolers are loaded down with tons and tons of food, and the weather looks great for the next few days 45-65 and light winds with clouds. 

now its time for some rest

On the road today driving the slow roller through utah.  tonight we are in tremonton ut on the idaho border.  It was super windy today with gusts up to 50 mph, good thing it was at our backs.  nothing to exciting happened this week.  My left leg is starting to feel better with a few days of rest and my right hip is improving from the fall i took on thursday.  it was actually pretty embarrasing considering it happened on a smooth sidewalk about 3 blocks from the hospital, a spot i have run over almost everyday for 2 years.  but luckly not to much damage done, just a sore ego. 
I havent checked my luggage yet but hopefully everything i need has been packed.  I can guarantee that I have at least one pair of shoes and shorts so day one is covered. 

Time to pack

Another week in the books and it was a busy one.  The recovery from zion went well, didn't have any soreness, only heavy legs on tuesday.  I was starving most of the week though, which is normal for a few days after a race.  It just make me think and wonder how much I will have to eat this summer during the run.  I just got a mass email at work finding out that there is a pool going around as to how much weight I will lose this summer.  My guess is about 10 lbs. 
Any way I packed my gear for the first time today.  I have condensed everything down to two duffel bags, two medium size coolers and two small boxes.  I hope everything is in there, but am not worried too much since i will probably take everything out nightly just to inspect it and make sure I didn't forget something. 
No good pictures this week but the solar eclipse is tonight and I planning on getting some good ones then. 
only 10 days to go...

Ahhh Sunday's

Just got back from Zion this weekend.  I felt great this weekend, I guess good enough to do 5 bonus miles during the race.  The markings were a little hard to follow but the views couldn't be beat. 
I slept in the van Thurs and Fri and it was relativly comfortable which is good news for this summer.  Even better news is that the Van made it the 500 + miles without any problems, and on one tank of gas none the less. There were lots of great runners this weekend and I got to run some miles with them.  Special thanks to Slater Fletcher and his crew for the extra support they gave me this weekend.

Some views from the weekend along the course and in Zion

 

Now its back to work and more prep for the upcoming run this summer. 

Getting Ready

A lot changes in a week.  Last time I wrote I was feeling good and running was fun.  Fast forward a few days, a stomach virus later, and 6 lbs lighter... Things feel different.  This weekend was rough running in the hot sun with lots of walking.  At least now everything is starting to feel a little more normal and my legs don't feel like Jell-o.

This week I should get some rest and then it's off to Zion to run the inagural 100 miler.  Hopefully the race director marks the course well. 
Nothing else to exciting going on here in flagstaff, so I better get to bed since tomorrow morning always comes too early.

Everyone welcome "The Slow Roller".

4 Weeks

Only 4 weeks to go.  that's what I was thinking tonight during my run.  Only 4 weeks.  Soon Katie and I will leave for twin harbors wash.  The van we got last week for the trip has been running well, and I haven't found any problems with it yet. 
Everyday I think about something that I am going to need out on the road, how I'm going to eat at night in the middle of south dakota, wondering how long I can really go without a shower.  My guess is 4 days max before restaurants stop letting me in.  I always hope that my legs will hold up and keep me moving forward.

Anyway I am going to try and keep the blog updated throughout the adventure with random thoughts and pictures, I haven't been to good at it in the past but things can always change.